Weekend traffic urged take alternative route North

Motorists heading north of Wellsford over
Anniversary weekend are again being urged to use State
Highway 16 as an alternative route to State Highway 1.

As
during the Christmas and New Year holidays, Transit New
Zealand, the New Zealand Police and Rodney District Council
will be working closely to help make travelling easier and
safer for the many thousands of people expected to head
north over the coming weekend.

The main thrust of the
inter agency strategy will be to minimise, as far as
possible, congestion on the 30 kilometre stretch of SH1
between Silverdale and Warkworth.

Motorists travelling
north of Wellsford are being asked to seriously consider
using SH16, which can be accessed via the Northwestern
Motorway from the city, and from Dairy Flat via Kahikatea
Flat Road.

“Though SH16 is slightly longer than the more
direct SH1 route, during peak travelling periods - Friday
afternoon and Saturday morning and then again on Anniversary
Day itself - motorists will find it quicker, particularly as
they won’t have to deal with the returning traffic joining
SH1 at Warkworth from Matakana and Sandspit,” says Transit
Regional Manager Wayne McDonald.

To help facilitate
traffic flows on Friday afternoon (25 January) and Monday
afternoon (28 January), the following steps will be
implemented:

ƒÞ Northbound traffic flows on SH1A
(Northern Motorway between Silverdale interchange and Orewa
roundabout) will be closely monitored and before queues
form, a variable message sign three kilometres south of
Silverdale will advise motorists to leave the motorway at
the Silverdale interchange and head north through Orewa
along State Highway 1.

ƒÞ Police on point duty will
direct traffic through the roundabouts on Orewa’s Grand
Drive and at the intersection of Westhoe Road and SH1.

ƒÞ
Police will monitor the pedestrian crossing on SH1 at
Wellsford and provide a pointsman for the SH16 intersection
if necessary.

ƒÞ A variable message sign north of
Wellsford will recommend that southbound traffic branch off
SH1 at Wellsford and use SH16 to Auckland. (North Shore
motorists can branch off SH16 at Kaukapakapa and head east
across to SH17 at Dairy Flat and then onto SH1.)

ƒÞ On
SH1, five southbound passing lanes - at Pohuehue (x2),
Johnson’s Hill, Waiwera Hill and Hatfield’s Beach - will be
closed between early afternoon and early evening on Sunday
and Anniversary Day.

“Closing the passing lanes at peak
congestion periods has been very effective, showing that
traffic flows can be improved by as much as 10 per cent,”
says Mr
McDonald.

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